NBA: Brooklyn bands together with late game magic to topple the T'Wolves

New York, New York - The Brooklyn Nets are victorious once again at home after outlasting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Patty Mills pitched in with 23 points for the Nets against the T'Wolves.
Patty Mills pitched in with 23 points for the Nets against the T'Wolves.  © imago/Icon SMI

The Nets defeated the T’Wolves 110-105 for their sixth win in seven games, while handing Minnesota their second-straight loss.

The East’s best team was pushed to the limit for the second game in a row and yet again, they pulled out a win at home thanks to crucial buckets in the game’s final seconds.

Minnesota jumped out to an early and surprising 34-27 lead after the first quarter, before Brooklyn finally settled in and went into halftime with a small 59-55 advantage.

NBA's Joel Embiid to undergo left knee procedure
NBA NBA's Joel Embiid to undergo left knee procedure

The T’Wolves shot well from three-point range throughout the game, keeping close to Brooklyn throughout the night. They even made 13 threes to the Nets’ six by the final buzzer.

The third quarter was a tight battle between both squads, but the Nets still managed to stay ahead by one heading into the last quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the same battle to the finish, but Brooklyn pulled some late-game magic out of their hat with four straight points in the game’s final minute to clinch the win.

The player spotlight

Nets forward Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points on Friday night.
Nets forward Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points on Friday night.  © imago/ZUMA Press

Forward Kevin Durant (33), the NBA’s leading scorer, was the highlight of the Nets on Friday night.

Durant came into the game leading the league with 28.6 points per game.

His most important point-scoring of the night came during the fourth quarter as he dropped nine points, including a 15-footer that wrapped up the win.

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Durant finished the game with 9-for-18 shooting, 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.

The big picture

Kyrie Irving hasn't played in an NBA game since last season's Eastern Conference semifinals in June.
Kyrie Irving hasn't played in an NBA game since last season's Eastern Conference semifinals in June.  © imago/Icon SMI

The Nets are still doing just fine while playing on without one of their superstars.

In fact, the return of Kyrie Irving – if he ever returns – doesn’t look like it would make anything better for the Nets. (The star player has been banned by the team until he's fully vaccinated against Covid-19.)

As a team, the Nets rank fifth in the league right now in field goal percentage with 46.8% and sixth in team assists with 25.4 – two areas of the game that Irving usually shines in on the court.

Brooklyn got to the East’s top spot without him playing a single second this season, so it’s safe to say that the Nets have figured out rather well that top stats without Kyrie isn’t unattainable.

On Saturday night, the Nets will stay at home to run with the Bulls while on Monday, the T’Wolves head down to Atlanta to take on the Hawks.

Cover photo: imago/ZUMA Press

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